Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 4(2), pp. 108 - 119
DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2016.040210
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Narrative Social Work Practice for HIV/AIDS Clients


Yumi Oshita *
Faculty of Health and Welfare, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Japan

ABSTRACT

This article aims to present and discuss an innovative narrative social work theory, and to demonstrate its effectiveness through a case study of liberating a client who was dominated by HIV/AIDS discourse. The innovative construction entails four components: basic theory, clinical theory, intervention skills, and a measurement method. The selected basic theory, derived from Foucault's theory of the power of knowledge as well as Bateson's theory of difference, is aimed at theorizing a process that could help an individual to construct a new story by activating a force of differentiation in the vertical and horizontal feedback loops. Clinical theory, which provides a practical framework for problem solving, was formulated as the generation of a difference within the circular process of horizontal and vertical feedback loops. This article identifies a set of intervention skills and their effective application for generating a difference in a strategic direction. Circular questions are considered as key skills for generating a difference, while the categorization of each skill indicates a strategic application. The measurement method is theorized using modified Bales' theory to demonstrate the dynamics of the transformation process. Three-dimensional graphs are used to visualize the activation of the force of the difference.

KEYWORDS
Narrative Social Work Practice, Power of Knowledge, Differentiation, Vertical and Horizontal Feedback Loops, Intervention Skills, Circular Questions, Measurement Method

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Yumi Oshita , "Narrative Social Work Practice for HIV/AIDS Clients," Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 108 - 119, 2016. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2016.040210.

(b). APA Format:
Yumi Oshita (2016). Narrative Social Work Practice for HIV/AIDS Clients. Universal Journal of Public Health, 4(2), 108 - 119. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2016.040210.